Ethan David just messaged me and sent me a video:
“ I made the robot using an arduino, a servo motor, and cardboard boxes. Most of the heavy lifting is taken care of in python doing the fast fourier transform on the sound detected by the microphone to find the frequency being played. This allows me to compare the frequency to the known frequency of the musical scale. It then becomes trivial to just program in the correct sequence of notes for the song and see if what I play matches it. „
The international exhibition entitled ‘Robots love Music’ reveals that historical and modern-day robots not only have a brain, but also have a heart!
It’s not just the museum that will be showcasing robots; this autumn, the entire city of Utrecht will go robotic. At various locations around town, Museum Speelklok, universities, venues, and musicians will organise a wide variety of robot events.
They certainly exist! Through time musical ‘robots’ have been evolving from simply mimicking human movements to composing music independently and even improvising, just as we do.
They will come in all sizes, shapes and varieties from every corner of the world: ancient robots, interactive robots, metal robots, supersonic robots, life-size robots, cabinets with concealed robots and lots of invisible musicians. All of them will play music ‘live’.
Straight from the USA, the ultramodern and amiable music-making robot Shimon will arrive. The impressive man-size 18th-century Clarinet Player of Dutch making, which wound up in the USA, will make a special trip to Utrecht for the exhibition. From the film of the same name, the French automaton Hugo can be admired in its role as the cinematic link between the world of humans and machines.
Can robotic musicians move you? Find out for yourself at the interactive exhibition Robots love Music. Open from the 21st of September 2018 untill 3th of March 2019.
https://www.museumspeelklok.nl/exhibition-robots-love-music/
https://www.museumspeelklok.nl/exhibition-robots-love-music/
Expressive robot speaker connects with any Bluetooth-capable device and converts any type of audio played in real time into motion using intelligent algorithm to drive the feet of the robot using bionics technology.
HOUSTON – Aplus Drones is pleased to announce the launch of Dancebot, a smart dancing robot speaker designed with intelligent algorithm technology, today on Kickstarter. Dancebot reached its funding goal of $10,000 in just 2 hours.
Dancebot is the world’s first smart dancing robot speaker. Connect your device to Dancebot via Bluetooth and use it as a speaker. Dancebot will move to the audio it plays.
Aplus Drones has developed an algorithm to analyse audio input on the fly to string together movements that best express the sound played through Dancebot. It moves to the rhythm and tempo of music in its adorable expression of the songs. It taps its feet and jives to upbeat tunes. It slides in silky sleek movements to bring out the sexy in slow pieces.
Dancebot is designed with two joints in each leg. A motor drives each joint through 360 degrees of motion. Aplus Drones engineers have been creating a database of movements Dancebot is capable of. The variation of speed and degree of motion at each joint creates multiple permutations of possible moves that can be achieved with the four joints. The large library of movements and on-the-fly analysis means Dancebot has a different dance routine each time it jives to the same song.
The movement expressed by Dancebot depends on the audio it plays. Besides playing music, Dancebot can be used to play audiobooks, videos, podcasts or even voice messages.
This makes Dancebot the perfect companion for children. Play a children’s audiobook or nursery rhymes with Dancebot and it will move to the narration of the story and dance along to the nursery rhymes. Dancebot’s animated movements makes learning more engaging and a whole a lot more fun.
The startup sound for Dancebot can be customized into a personalised message, making it ideal as a gift.
For more information or to purchase Dancebot at a special discount during crowdfunding, visit the Dancebot Kickstarter campaign page.
About Aplus Drones
Aplus Drones is an entrepreneurial technology company focusing on artificial intelligence and robotic technology development. The company provides award-winning product design, product development, manufacturing, marketing, logistics and shipping services. Full control over the whole supply chain makes Aplus a one-stop solution for clients.
About Dancebot
Dancebot is a smart dancing robot speaker that is a fun audio companion. It moves to the rhythm and tempo of the audio played through it. Play music, audiobooks, podcasts, videos or even voice messages
London, England – June 26th 2018 – The Crafty Robot today launches its new robot kit Smartibot which is aimed at letting users get hands-on experience with A.I. and get creative through building their own robot out of anything, even a potato. Created by product designer Ross Atkin, who is part of a team of inventors in the BBC’s flagship technology program ‘The Big Life Fix’, Smartobots are available for pre-order on Kickstarter from £30 ($40).
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/460355237/338515758?ref=1k04h4&token=994114b3
Smartibot takes The Crafty Robot’s ‘build a robot out of anything’ ethos and adds the latest A.I. technology and smartphone connectivity. This allows you to build robots that can recognise and respond to objects they can see such as people, animals and vehicles, or be driven around the home and office using your smartphone as a remote control.
Smartibot comes with cleverly designed cardboard parts, and can be re-used to easily create new robots out of almost anything from porcelain to parsnips. The first three cardboard robot designs include;
Working with two groups of London-based craftspeople who use traditional processes, Smartibot has grown from a simple robot to something more. Artists at Turning Earth Studios have been able to craft robots using various clay and ceramic techniques whilst regulars at Wild and Woolly Yarn Shop have found knitting a series of robots was more their style. In an East London Makerspace, Machines Room, Smartibot robots have been made using the less traditional materials including potatoes and other vegetables in order to pit them against each other in a race and arena combat in the inaugural ‘Botato Wars’.
“I build technology for a living and I know that the best way to avoid being replaced by a robot is to be the person making the robot” explained Ross Atkin. “We believe building your own robot should be affordable, easy to understand and exciting for everyone. Because of this we created Smartibot in order to allow everyone the opportunity to experiment with the latest A.I. technology in a fun and inventive way.”
Unlike most education technology products, Smartibot allows you to learn all of the disciplines required to create new inventions, from coding and machine learning, to mechanical design and development through iteration.
Akram Hussein, Smartibot software lead, said “What I love about Smartibot is it allows me share my love of technology and machine learning with my young nephews in a way that is both fun but educational. I’m hopefully they will be excited to pursue STEM careers and believe Smartibot is just the right level to get them started in learning how robots and programming work.”
About The Crafty Robot
The Crafty Robot is a technology education brand, founded by Ross Atkin that has manufactured and sold cardboard robots since 2015 when it was successfully Kickstarted and delivered to over 1,600 backers.
Ross, a London based designer and engineer specialising in internet of things and smart city products, and is part of a team of eight inventors who create one off pieces of technology to solve problems for disabled individuals in the primetime BBC2 TV program ‘The Big Life Fix’.
The Crafty Robot is focused on allowing people to get creative with technology in the most fun and accessible ways possible.
Fünf mächtige Löwen vereinen sich, die Plasma-Düsen werden aktiviert, und der neue LEGO Ideas „Voltron“ entsteht
Mit dem neuesten LEGO Ideas Set „Voltron“ werden Fans zu einem Paladin und verteidigen das Universum. Dieses riesige Set stellt die Hauptfigur aus der klassischen 80er-Jahre-Zeichentrickserie „Voltron“ dar und ist der größte baubare LEGO Mech aller Zeiten.
Sobald die fünf brüllenden Löwen aufgebaut sind, können sie getrennt aufgestellt oder aber kombiniert werden, um so den hoch aufragenden Roboter zu bauen, der in der klassischen Zeichentrickserie „Voltron“ das Universum verteidigt. Das neueste LEGO Ideas Set ist ab dem 23. Juli 2018 exklusiv in allen LEGO Stores und im LEGO Online Shop unter shop.LEGO.com erhältlich – mit aktivierten Luftschleusen, verbundenem Dynotherm, gestarteten Infrazellen und Plasma-Düsen.
Mit diesem LEGO Ideas Set Voltron können sich Fans zurück in die 80er-Jahre katapultieren – das Zeitalter der Superroboter. Für Voltron haben die Fans abgestimmt, und das Set wird so zur neuesten von Fans eingereichten Idee, die es in die Herstellung schafft. Mit 2.321 Teilen ist es das größte LEGO Ideas Set aller Zeiten.
Das Modell ist imposante 40 cm hoch, 14 cm lang und 21 cm breit. Mit den beweglichen Teilen können spannende Szenen aus der ursprünglichen 80er-Jahre-Serie nachgespielt werden. Fans nehmen die Rolle von Keith ein und führen den „legendären Verteidiger“ Voltron in die Auseinandersetzung gegen König Zarkon.
Das Set besteht aus fünf baubaren und beweglichen Löwen mit speziell entwickelten, besonders robusten Gelenken, die kombiniert werden, um so den Voltron-Superroboter zu schaffen. Vier Löwen bilden zusammen die Arme und Beine, bevor der mächtige schwarze Löwe hinzugefügt und so der Oberkörper und der Kopf von Voltron fertiggestellt werden. Sobald das beeindruckende Schwert sowie der entsprechende Schild am Modell befestigt sind, ist dieser Superroboter vollständig.
Das LEGO Ideas Set Voltron bietet LEGO Fans eine nostalgische Erfahrung und gleichzeitig ein lohnenswertes Bauerlebnis voller Spaß. Im Set enthalten sind Informationen zum Fan-Designer des Modells wie auch zur Superkraft der LEGO Ideas Designer, die diese Idee zum Leben erweckt haben.
Erhältlich direkt in LEGO Stores und online ab dem 23. Juli 2018.
www.shop.lego.com/voltron
Unverbindliche Preisempfehlung: 179,99 EUR
San Francisco, California – March 6, 2018 – Segway Robotics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Segway-Ninebot Group, is proud to launch Loomo, a smart machine that toggles between a mini personal transporter and mobile robot sidekick. Loomo is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo today, with limited early bird pricing starting at $1299.
Loomo will launch with a core set of foundational features, with more capabilities unlocked over time through over-the-air (OTA) updates. Out of the box, you can ride Loomo as a mini transporter, let it follow you autonomously as a robot sidekick, or show off Loomo’s playful personality to your friends. Loomo also comes with a free Android-based SDK for professional developers and enthusiasts alike to build on top of our mobility + AI platform.
Loomo’s key features include:
“Segway-Ninebot has already put millions of wheels on the ground that cover 180 million kilometers each year. But what happens if you combine Segway’s proven mobility technology with cutting-edge AI? Well say hello to Loomo,” said Li Pu, President of Segway Robotics. “For many, Loomo is a reflection of our movie fantasies growing up… it embodies our vision of how mobile personal robots can become a part of our everyday lives.”
The Loomo Indiegogo campaign launches March 6, 2018. Limited early bird pricing will be set at $1299. The basic pack includes 1 Loomo, 1 AC/DC adapter, 1 extended air tap, and 1 USB 3.0 Type-C cable. Loomo will begin shipping to backers in May 2018.
About Segway Robotics
Segway Robotics is a privately held company that focuses on developing and commercializing personal robots. Founded in 2015, it is fully owned by Segway-Ninebot Group, a Series C company. The company has notable backers including the likes of Sequoia Capital, Intel Capital and Xiaomi.
To find out more about Segway Robotics: http://www.segwayrobotics.com/
February 16, 2018 – New York, NY – KD Interactive, maker of the best-selling line of kid-safe Kurio tablets and smartwatches, today introduces an innovative and fun new item for 2018: My Loopy, a social robot for kids as young as four.
“Teaching early STEM concepts through play is still an important focus in the toy industry and we saw a gap to fill for younger children in particular,” said Eric Levin, KD Group Strategic Director. “My Loopy is a fun and quirky robot companion that also introduces early coding skills for kids as young as four.”
KD Interactive’s new products for 2018 include:
My Loopy is a three-inch tall robot from the planet Loopitron with a big and quirky personality! Created by the scientists at LocoRobo, Loopy uses eight different sensors (light, tilt, motion, touch, temperature, proximity, gesture and sound) and artificial intelligence to engage kids as young as four through imaginative visual and auditory play. Loopy’s AI technology allows him to grow and create new play patterns as he interacts with his human buddy.
Loopy responds to his environment in real time: Turn off the lights and Loopy might go to sleep or say „Let’s partyyyyyyyyyyy!“ Make a loud noise to scare him. Watch Loopy shiver if the temperature gets cold or complain, „Ouch! I’m burning up!“ if it gets hot. With more than 150 jokes and quirky responses, you never know if he’ll greet you with „I missed you so much!“ or „What do ya want? I’m kinda busy here!“
Play eight different games with Loopy, including favorites like Hide-and-Seek and Simon Says. When paired with the My Loopy app (iOS/Android), kids can learn how to code their own Loopy responses, play games that test math and geography skills, and even create their own music for Loopy to dance to!
Loopy features multi-color animations and LED eyes that reflect his emotions and reactions, giving him a human-like personality! MSRP $79.99, Ages 4+, Rechargeable battery included, Available Fall 2018
About KD Interactive
KD Interactive is a division of KD Group, based in Lyon, France. The company has been making innovative kids electronic toys for more than 20 years, working with mass and specialty retailers in more than 20 countries around the world. The company’s in-house team of product engineers, scientists and educators is focused on creating products with huge play value that incorporate cutting-edge technologies into learning and childhood development. KD Interactive is well-known globally for its best-selling Kurio® line of kid-safe tablets and smart devices. For more information about KD Interactive, visit Group-KD.com.